Comments on: Hillary-Obama in 2008

By: floyd

floyd — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 02:47:37 +0000

james; i've taken to useing *asterisks* in the same manner as "quotes" to denote when "I" am being sarcastic![lol]

By: Dave Schuler

Dave Schuler — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 01:13:52 +0000

Where you stand depends on where you sit, I guess. It's possible that Ms. Merritt is far enough left that Sens. Obama and Clinton look more centrist to her than they do to, say, Bithead.

From my vantage point (I'm pretty darned centrist) they're both center-left, Obama a little farther left than Clinton, trying their darndedest to sound more centrist than they actually are.

I think that Obama is an extremely appealing candidate (he's one of my senators) for a host of reasons but I have my doubts about either Sen. Obama or Sen. Clinton as a serving president. Neither has convincing foreign policy credentials, neither has any real notion of business in the U. S. today, and they're both Fordists (when you hear “Fordist”, think EU and you've pretty much got it) and I think that Fordism is failing worldwide.

By: Tano

Tano — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 19:19:17 +0000

Lets not waste our time on the word "centrist", ok? In a fit of honesty, lets all agree that the term has a highly subjective meaning. Personally, I think I stand at the exact center of the poltical spectrum - clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right. More expansively, I actually stand at the exact center of the universe.

Others may acknoweldge being a bit displaced, but not by much. Calling Clinton a centrist, or denying it, says more about your position on the spectrum than it does hers.

Personally, I think the better ticket is Obama - Warner. Watch for it. Hillary is so 20th century.

By: Bandit

Bandit — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 18:30:22 +0000

Well, neither one is currently under arrest, indictment, a pedophile, a mistress-choker, a bigot, a lunatic, or completely incompetent. That puts them both ahead of about 95% of every Republican potential without even trying…

Sorry which GOP potential candidate is any of these? Mitt Romney has a mistress - musta missed that one. John McCain's under indictment? Missed that too.

By: legion

legion — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 17:42:03 +0000

And will someone explain to me what major accomplishments either has in their folder?
Well, neither one is currently under arrest, indictment, a pedophile, a mistress-choker, a bigot, a lunatic, or completely incompetent. That puts them both ahead of about 95% of every Republican potential without even trying...

By: DaveD

DaveD — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 17:34:46 +0000

I think if you're a Democrat who knows you want to run for President, passing the first part of the test requires you to paint yourself as a centrist. Americans in general don't like extremists. Pelosi and Reid know this isn't in their future, so they do the dirty work.

By: charles austin

charles austin — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 17:06:38 +0000

I think the phenomenon being highlighted here is that many are startign to give folks like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama credit for not being part of the loony left. I will certainly credit each of them as not being as ludicrous as Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid, but centrists? Please. This is yet another victory for style over substance.

By: Contratimes

Contratimes — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 16:52:47 +0000

I wonder if Ms. Merritt read Mr. Obama's September 2005 piece at Daily Kos. For there Mr. Obama writes: I am convinced that, our mutual frustrations and strongly-held beliefs notwithstanding, the strategy driving much of Democratic advocacy, and the tone of much of our rhetoric, is an impediment to creating a workable progressive majority in this country. Is this the rhetoric of a moderate? What, indeed, does Mr. Obama mean when he uses the word "progressive"? Moreover, what does he mean when he writes such a phrase at Daily Kos? Perhaps readers here can enlighten me, new, as I am, to Mr. Obama's political philosophies. Peace, BG

By: bithead

bithead — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 15:18:44 +0000

Now all you need is two centerists.

And will someone explain to me what major accomplishments either has in their folder?

By: dougrc

dougrc — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 15:16:15 +0000

Those two may be centrists in their party, but to a normal American they add up to more taxes, less personal freedom, more minority rights infringing on the majority's rights, and ineffective foreign policy through the coddling of extremists.

Obama is almost as slick a used-car salesman as her estranged hubby. The only thing going for her is she is less annoying and shrill than Cindy Sheehan; but then so is the rest of the human race.

By: yetanotherjohn

yetanotherjohn — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 14:38:37 +0000

The sad part is that anyone in the democratic party who is not accusing Bush of personally planting the explosives in the WTC can lay claim to being a centrist...of the democratic party. But just as the democratic party is to the left of the median voter (and the republican party to the right of the median voter), being a centrist in the democratic party doesn't mean you aren't a liberal.

By: Bandit

Bandit — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 14:13:39 +0000

Just a question but what would Hilary cite as her Senate accomplishments if she were to run?

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 13:53:06 +0000

Ssssh!

By: legion

legion — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 13:52:54 +0000

Obama - maybe. I still don't know a whole lot about his national-level positions. But yeah - Hillary? She's savvy enough to take centrist positions when necessary, but given her own head, she's no centrist.

By: Fersboo

Fersboo — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 13:49:19 +0000

Hillary a centrist?!?!